Victimology
Lombroso’s created his features of a criminal from prisoners,
these criminalistic features link to features which a malnourished
person would also have, such as high cheek bones, which could
explain why everyone in the prison had similar features.
Wolfgang (1958)
Victim precipitation
The degree to which victim is responsible for own
victimisation
Investigated homicides in Philly from 1948-1952
Common factors
Often victim and offender know each other
Alcohol plays a role
Incident often escalates from minor altercation to murder
Interpersonal dispute is a dominant characteristics of many
homicides
Five stages of escalation for typical homicide
o Victim makes direct offensive verbal attack against the
offender (40 of victims initiate the homicide drama by
verbal threat)
o The offender interprets the victim’s words and deeds as
offensive
o The offender makes the opening to pay back the victim
for the previous insult
o The eventual victim stands up to the offenders opening,
responding with increased hostility.
o Commitment to battles ensures, the victim is left dead or
dying (35 of offenders carry gun or knives, and nearly 65
leave the crime scene to obtain weapons)
Positivist criminology
Argued that criminals were not to blame for their criminal
activities as their behaviour was determined by their
physiology.
Emphasis on biological explanations of crime, criminals are
born not made (nature not nurture)
Often considered biased or racist.
Lombroso’s created his features of a criminal from prisoners,
these criminalistic features link to features which a malnourished
person would also have, such as high cheek bones, which could
explain why everyone in the prison had similar features.
Wolfgang (1958)
Victim precipitation
The degree to which victim is responsible for own
victimisation
Investigated homicides in Philly from 1948-1952
Common factors
Often victim and offender know each other
Alcohol plays a role
Incident often escalates from minor altercation to murder
Interpersonal dispute is a dominant characteristics of many
homicides
Five stages of escalation for typical homicide
o Victim makes direct offensive verbal attack against the
offender (40 of victims initiate the homicide drama by
verbal threat)
o The offender interprets the victim’s words and deeds as
offensive
o The offender makes the opening to pay back the victim
for the previous insult
o The eventual victim stands up to the offenders opening,
responding with increased hostility.
o Commitment to battles ensures, the victim is left dead or
dying (35 of offenders carry gun or knives, and nearly 65
leave the crime scene to obtain weapons)
Positivist criminology
Argued that criminals were not to blame for their criminal
activities as their behaviour was determined by their
physiology.
Emphasis on biological explanations of crime, criminals are
born not made (nature not nurture)
Often considered biased or racist.
